PPP poised for 2016 presidential election — National Secretary

The Progressive People's Party (PPP)  is poised to cause the biggest political upset in the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections, the party’s National Secretary, Mr Murtala Mohammed, has assured.

In line with this, he said, the PPP had not made any decision not to contest the 2016 presidential election.

“All talk and rumours to this effect are false and without any basis,” he told the Daily Graphic in Accra Monday.

Coalition arrangement

It will be recalled that the PPP, in the national interest, made a decision several weeks ago to explore a coalition arrangement with prominent individuals and political parties to contest the 2016 elections and form a partnership in government in January 2017. 

But some political parties and their supporters have interpreted the coalition stance as a decision by the PPP not to field a presidential candidate and a willingness to help some party to win the 2016 election.

There are some people also going around and asking PPP members not to bother campaigning because the PPP was in coalition with other parties.

PPP’s strategy

However, the party’s national secretary explained that the PPP had prepared its strategy for the 2016 campaign and had opened and closed the nomination for a presidential candidate.

He further stated that the PPP was in the process of electing parliamentary candidates and had put in place a high-powered national parliamentary campaign team led by the national secretary.

He disclosed that the PPP would convene a national convention soon to present the party’s presidential candidate and campaign team.

He assured the public that the PPP was united, disciplined and focused on selling a good message to Ghanaians, and added the PPP had the best policy priorities to present to the voters and the only party committed to changing the 1992 Constitution to empower the people to elect their own District Chief Executives (DCEs), separate the executive from the legislature and separate the office of the Attorney General from that of the Minister of Justice.

 He further said the PPP was the only political party focusing on job creation and determined to make all Ghanaian state institutions buy from local businesses.

He, however, reminded party supporters and sympathisers that the PPP’s stated deadline for the coalition arrangement remained the end of this month, February 2016.